End the Persecution of Alexander Adamescu and his Family

Alexander Adamescu, his wife, Adriana, and their three young children are being persecuted by the Romanian government after Alexander spoke out against corruption and the abuse of power in Romania.

Alexander moved to the UK from Germany and has lived in London with his family for four years. He is a writer who has been studying at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Alexander is the son of Dan Adamescu, a successful businessman of Romanian origin. Dan funded one of Romania’s leading national newspapers, Romania Libera. The newspaper has consistently been a champion of democracy, free speech and the rule of law.

This daily newspaper became a thorn in the side of the then Prime Minister of Romania, Victor Ponta. Seeking to stop the newspaper continuing to expose the corruption of his government, Mr Ponta had Dan Adamescu thrown in jail on trumped up charges of bribery following a swift show trial.

After Alexander protested against the unfair treatment of his father, masked men attempted to kidnap his wife, Adriana, from outside their home in a terrifying, state-sponsored attack clearly designed to intimidate the family into silence.

Alexander continued to campaign for justice for his family and so in June 2016, Alexander found himself accused of exactly the same trumped up charges of bribery as his father and a European Arrest Warrant was issued for him to be sent to Romania to face trial. Alexander was arrested just two hours before he was due to speak at a conference in London about the serious issues with the European Arrest Warrant and the lack of due process in Romania.

Meanwhile, in Romania, Dan Adamescu suffered appallingly in prison. He was relentlessly mistreated, kept in a rat-infested underground cell often with up to eight other inmates and denied medical attention despite serious illnesses. Tragically, on the 24th of January 2017, Dan Adamescu died in hospital after contracting septicaemia brought on by the barbaric prison conditions he suffered. Alexander never had the chance to say goodbye to his father.

Alexander now awaits an extradition hearing in April 2017. Under European rules the judge in his case cannot review the evidence against him, and so Alexander must prove that there is a political motivation for his arrest or that his human rights will be violated if he is sent for trial in Romania. Should he fail, he will face the same corrupt justice system as his father and likely suffer the same fate.

Please help Alexander and his family by signing my petition calling on our Prime Minister Theresa May to use her power and intervene to stop this persecution.